St. Georges Bridge Idea
I was looking at some biking information today and happened across the Delaware Bike News blog. I saw a great idea from them that I think is worthy of support.
At present there are no truly safe non-motorized crossings of the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal, creating a huge impediment to connecting Delaware’s networks of safe routes for bicycles. Fatalities have been recorded on the Reedy Point Bridge, as well as near misses on the Summit Bridge and the St. Georges Bridge in its current lane configuration.
The solution? Unfortunately I had to jump into the suggested letter to Carol Ann Wickes to get the details:
I strongly support the conversion of the two unused motor vehicle lanes on St. Georges Bridge to non-motorized lanes that could accommodate bicyclists, pedestrians and even people with disabilities. At present there are 14 lanes for motor vehicles on the four bridges in Delaware across the canal, but no safe non-motorized crossings of the C&D Canal. The central location of the St. Georges Bridge makes it an ideal choice to correct this major gap in Delaware’s networks of safe routes for bicycles.
Personally, I think this is a great idea. I plan to contact DelDOT and support it. Until I can actually get them to take my advice and fill the canal in and make a big park, this will do.
Tags: Delaware, recreation, transportation
It is a slam dunk.
There’s got to be stimulus money for this one.
Think of the children! Ohhh. Wrong talking point 🙂
It could be tied into the Mike Castle Memorial C&D Canal Recreation Area.
OK, so you’ve found a project that you think is a good one. Now, the obvious question is: is this necessary?
Delaware is, like most states, facing a budget deficit for FY2009 and FY2010, as revenues for FY2009 have fallen below projections, and what the state projects as revenue for 2010 won’t match what the government thinks it needs.
Yet, here you are, proposing a completely new project, when your state doesn’t have the money it needs to continue with the existing ones.
This is how government spending gets out of hand, People come up with these great ideas for worthwhile projects, and nobody thinks about how they’re going to pay for this stuff.
So, how would you pay for this. In a linkage article I found below, Del Dem referenced to Dave Burris complaining about the Governor’s proposed pay cut for state employees:
as well as Dave Anderson’s article in which he wrote:
Y’all acknowledge that there is a budget crisis in the First State, and you know it’s serious. So, for this wonderful new project for which you are going to advocate, what programs are you willing to cut, or what taxes do you want to raise, to pay for it?
Oh yea, the children…they could rapel from one end of the bridge to the other…for a fee.
How did we allow the Rt. 1 bridge to get built without a safe pedestrian/bike walkway?
and heliport, crow’s nest, rest area, scenic outlook, gift shop, and warming hut….it’s all about the bid packet baby!!
The safe pedestrian/bike walkway lobbyists suck ass.
Does anyone know if one is planned for the IRI bridge? 21st century and all….
Does anyone know if one is planned for the IRI bridge? 21st century and all….
Maybe Ted kennedy can be the first driver to use it. Got an inconvenient woman to be his passenger?
This is great, When will we be able to bring our home grown backyard vegetables to market without impacting our carbon imprint ?
Dana- I don’t know the specifics, but if the two unused lanes on this bridge are slated to be repaved for vehicular traffic, it may be a cost savings to only pave it to pedestrian standards.
In addition, the planning for this change may take a year or more. By then, we intend to have a better economy and more efficient state government.
RwR got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. Have a cup of coffee and turnt he talk radio down Ryhmy.
This idea was put out there back when the ACoE wanted to rid the planet of the StG Bridge. That was back in my very-heavy bike days. I was totally for it (dedicated bike and ped lanes). ACoE didn’t want to hear it, so the movement shifted to the bridge becoming the responsibility of Delaware. They refused to allow Delaware to become the owner of it. My guess is because the canal is an ACoE property or stewardship or something, so all bridges are as a result. That’s my guess. Anyway, so the bridge eventually got a repreive due to heavy public pressure, including the state, but it remains for vehicles. If you can manage to get dedicated bike lanes, then more power to you. It was brutal (and a loss) last time.